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Glottal stop

In phonetics, a glottal stop is a momentary check on the airstream caused by closing the glottis (the space between the vocal cords) and thereby stopping the vibration of the vocal cords. It is produced by the rapid closing of the glottis , which traps the airstream from the lungs behind it, followed by a sudden release of the air as the glottis is opened.

It's the sound we make when we say 'uh-oh.' In some languages, this is a separate consonant sound, but in English we often use it with d, t, k, g, b or p when one of those sounds happens at the end of a word or syllable. . . . We close the vocal cords very sharply and make the air stop for just a moment. We don't let the air escape.